City hopes to dedicate community center

Friday

Nov 23, 2012 at 9:52 PM

Late community activist to be honored.

Xerxes WilsonStaff Writer

The city of Thibodaux will honor a late community activist and pastor by naming the community center at Martin Luther King Park after him. City officials have been mulling over a proper tribute to the Rev. Lloyd Wallace, who was active in the community as an organizer, educator and religious leader. Councilwoman Constance Johnson has been a main supporter of a tribute of Wallace, who was born, worked and died in 2005 in Thibodaux. “A pillar of this community was what he was,” Johnson said. “He made it possible for a lot of people in this city to have a good life.”Before the city decided on the community center, Johnson proposed renaming President Street in his honor. This drew the ire of some residents who said they and businesses on the street would face difficulty in having their addresses changed, especially if they have an Internet presence.Randy Orgeron, who owns the Color Simulation Service on President Street, said at an August City Council meeting the name has a historical value for residents who have lived there for years. The council took no action on renaming the street.Before the building is renamed, the aging structure will undergo repairs.“Our intent is to renovate the building, then we will dedicate it,” said Mayor Tommy Eschete. “It is not suitable to be dedicated now.” Eschete had planned to build a new community center with money raised from a recreation tax proposed earlier this year. The tax vote failed, so Eschete said the city will renovate the facility with any money it can find. The mayor said he believes the city has identified some federal grant money that could pay for the renovations, though there is no timeframe for doing so. The center is where the parish Office of Community Action is located, and Eschete said he'd like to see the office moved before the dedication.“We are going to try to relocate Community Action,” Eschete said. “We want to have the facility used as a community center and not an office complex.”Wallace spent a large part of his life furthering the education of others. He was the principal of Kent Hadley Elementary and Junior High School in Raceland for 23 years and served as co-director of the Lafourche Parish Head Start summer program.Wallace also invested many years in the ministry. He was an assistant pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church for a decade before becoming pastor, a position he held for 16 years. He became pastor emeritus of the church in 1997.He was instrumental in the development of the Lafourche Chapter of the NAACP and the Lafourche Parish celebrations of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.He was executive director of the Lafourche Community Action Agency and chairman of the Lafourche Community Housing and Economic Development Organization. He also opened a credit union on St. Charles Street for Lafourche Parish teachers and a day care that has since closed.Wallace's family could not be reached for comment.